Cerulean
by TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake
Summary: The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until he learned everything about her; it wasn't often that something called to his kitsune side.
1. Crimson

**Title: Cerulean**

**Author: TheSuperNinja'sCrabcake**

**Summary: The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's kitsune curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely wherever she pleased or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until her learned everything about her. It had been a sealed deal from the moment his eyes had met her that day in the office. **

**Style: 500 – 1000 word drabbles. **

**One: Crimson **

"—perfectly, Kagome-sama."

The first time that Kurama caught a glance of Higurashi Kagome, he had walked into Koenma's office and caught the tail end of an obviously extremely private conversation.

The large ogre had tried to deter them from going inside, but Yusuke was too pissed to wait to give Koenma a piece of his mind and had promptly drop kicked George in the face, granting them entrance.

And now that the doors were open, Yusuke's mouth promptly flopped open.

A young woman stood in front of the desk that was normally crowded with paper work, her violently crimson top dropped to pool around her waist, leaving the slender dip of her back bare to view. Midnight locks streamed down her back, ending at her waist—ink against the parchment of her creamy skin. Despite the fact that they all knew that Koenma preferred his toddler form, he was standing tall as a teenager. His dark eyes were caressing the skin presented to him, his hands pulling the soft body closer to him.

_How interesting,_ Youko murmured, a grin twisting in his voice, his proverbial tail swishing back and forth.

_I'm mildly disturbed, _Kurama admitted as he watched the skillful way that Koenma's hands moved across the woman's bare-chest and he murmured softly to her. The darkly haired woman nodded, her hair shimmering as it moved, whispering back something to him in return.

Finally jolting out of his surprise, Yusuke loudly cleared his throat before letting out a howl of laughter to cover up the awkwardness that Kurama could sense bleeding through his aura. "I didn't know you had it in you, Koenma!"

Koenma's eyes instantly flitted to the tantei, eyes widening comically and his hands wrenching away from the beauty like he had been burned. He flushed a bright shade of red, instantly popping back to his toddler form and falling all over a large stack of papers that instantly buried him. Spluttering around his pacifier, he emerged, finally seated back behind the safety of his desk. "N-Now don't go getting any ideas! It's not what it looks like! I was inspecting-"

"Playing doctor is more like it," Yusuke snickered, arms behind his head as he appraised the situation with amusement. He had never really considered Koenma being in a sexual relationship, what with him running around as a toddler all the time and being such a workaholic.

"I have a rare disease," her voice fell over them like liquid and all of their eyes turned to meet her startlingly cerulean ones as she buttoned the top few buttons of the blouse that she had slipped back on over her lithe shoulders, the collar frilly against the pale column of her throat. "Koenma is one of the only ones that can monitor it. He was giving me a check-up, not doing whatever your perverted mind has come up with." Buttoning the last of her cuffs, her eyes narrowed in on Yusuke's, hissing coldly as she brushed past him, "Hentai."

When she neared Kurama, however, she slowed her gait. She was so close that Kurama could smell the lotus and moonlight of her scent, but he could also detect an undercurrent of lightning's wary scent when it strikes during a severe storm.

After a few seconds, Kurama distinctly realized that she was _studying_ him. He politely returned the favor. He committed her face to memory, her foreign eyes, the gentle slope of her nose, the light rose petals of her lips, and the white of her teeth as she revealed an interested smile.

"A kitsune," she murmured, tasting the word on her tongue. "But not. How odd."

"Arigato, Koenma," she called, waving as she left, her hips moving delicately from side to side with each step.

Kurama noted the lack of an honorfic and how Koenma had blatantly called her Kagome-_sama_.

It wasn't until the door closed behind her that the atmosphere abruptly changed, making him realize that that had been her _aura_ that had filled the room. It had been so subtle, calming, and encompassing that he hadn't even noticed and it left as swiftly as she did, siphoned away.

While Koenma and Yusuke then proceeded to shout at each other, gold swirled within green, Youko just beneath the surface of his eyes as they both trained their attention on the door that the woman had left through.

_Kagome…_

His curiosity had undeniably been piqued. He could wait, though. He would see her again and would uncover the aura of mystery that surrounded her.

After all, that was a kitsune promise and he had never broken one before.

**Please review! Thank you :D**

**~Ninja**


	2. Library

**Title: Cerulean**

**Summary: **The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until he learned everything about her; it wasn't often that something called to his kitsune side.

**Style: 500 – 1500 word drabbles.**

**Two: Library**

Kurama had made his promise to unravel the mystery that was Koenma's interesting visitor a little over a month ago. As expected, Koenma was relatively tight lipped about the incident, refusing to answer any inquiries, even going as far as to ban him and Yusuke from the office until further notice. Naturally, that only intensified his and Youko's curiosity towards the female that warranted such a strong reaction.

The next time that he had run into Kagome had actually been uncalculated and completely by accident.

He had been so wrapped up in cultivating his newest hybrid plant that he neglected to finish a Physics paper that was due during his next class. With Hiei having "accidentally" sent his laptop to the grave earlier that week, his only option was to grab his keys and he had made his way to his campus' library.

The moment that he stepped through the doors, his nose caught a trace of something familiar.

_I know this scent_, Youko purred as Kurama followed the teasing scent past the bookcases and beyond the rows of computers.

There, in the seat nearest to the windows and the farthest away from the other students, was the woman that had unnervingly encompassed his thoughts for the past month and a half.

Kurama almost dropped the notes he had hastily grabbed from his kitchen counter, but quickly composed himself.

Youko practically grinned in anticipation.

They watched as she bit the cap of her pen, her brows furrowed in thought, her aura lapping lazily against his like a brook would to its shore. Yet she was simply sitting in the comfort of the burgundy chair, a novel on the Sengoku Period clasped in her hands, and reading—as if it were something she did every day.

_She probably does,_ Youko pointed out.

Kurama's eyes darted to the overly large uni shirt that she was wearing and rationalized that she probably _was_ a student so this was something that she probably did do often. It almost jarring to see her dressed in something so abruptly casual when the last time he had seen her, she had worn a blouse dress that hugged and accentuated every single contour and curve of her lithe body. Not to mention the unplanned glimpse of bare skin that she had given.

_There had been nothing casual about that, _Youko hummed.

"Your aura is too unique for it to escape my notice, Kurama-san." The words jolted Kurama out of his observations, and their eyes met briefly—jade analyzing relaxed azure.

She was leaning back on her chair, two of its legs lifted slightly as she balanced herself. A single finger was in her book as she closed it, keeping her page, as her eyes trained on his. An ear bud was dangling out of her ear, a neon orange line that had curved against the pale of her face before she reached up and removed it. The overly happy, head-bopping sound of J-pop flitted to Kurama's sensitive ears, only adding to the surreality of the situation.

Reaching across her bag—which was almost spilling over with books—she retrieved her cellphone, her thumb smoothing over the stop button.

_She knows our name, _both Kurama and Youko noted, emerald eyes trained on her. His hand was tight around the strap of his book bag as he struggled to keep his aura from reaching out and intertwining with hers. Even if the presence was much more compact than it was in Reikai, it was still prominent to his senses, it was still _singing_ with uninhibited ki. He had never felt anything quite like it in his lives.

Kagome sighed, seemingly uncomfortable as she ran her fingers through her hair. "You're a quiet one, ne?"

Kurama didn't know what to say to that, so he remained quiet. Ironically, even though he had been searching for her, now that she had come to him, he wasn't exactly sure what he had wanted to talk to her about in the first place.

_You're an idiot sometimes, _Youko began. _We wanted t—_

"Please forgive my quick departure the other month," she suddenly said, misreading the hesitance in his eyes. "I regret behaving so rudely. You had caught me quite…indisposed," a beautiful pink fluttered across her face, dusting her nose. "and I was not in the mood for introductions."

Extending her hand towards him in a western greeting, she flashed a beatific smile. "I completely intend to rectify that, however. I am Higurashi Kagome; pleased to meet you."

"On the contrary, Higurashi-san," He accepted her odd greeting, allowing his hand to linger, feeling the unexpected callouses on her otherwise soft hand, before they both released. "I would like to apologize for barging in on you and Koenma the other evening," he answered her, the gentle timbre of his voice rolling out, lulling.

It had the effect he wished because she instantly relaxed the overt tenseness to her shoulders, however, her body was still unconsciously poised.

_She's very aware of her surroundings. This is a woman ready to bolt at a moment's notice, no matter how relaxed she looks, _Youko observed, swirling behind Kurama's eyes.

"So, you do speak." Fiery blue eyes sparkled with light mirth, her slight smirk drawing him in like a moth to a flame.

"It's interesting to note that a person of such..." Kurama searched for the right word, tasting it in his mouth when he found it. "_strength _has been under our noses the entire time."

"I actually share a mathematics class with that foul-mouthed friend of yours," she revealed, surprising him.

"Yusuke had never mentioned you," Kurama stated, wanting to wince at the bluntness of his statement. This wasn't like him, letting his curiosity rule him, but something about her, about her aura, was slowly unhinging him.

Kagome raised an eyebrow, as if she agreed with his thoughts. "I have a tendency to be absent," she finally answered wryly, a frown marring her beautiful face.

"Ah. Koenma does make it a habit to call people to duty at the most inopportune times," Kurama told her, trying to trick her into revealing more about herself through his offered empathy.

Even though he was positive that she saw through his words, evident by the small amused smile she flashed him, she played into his hand regardless. "I'm not simply one of Koenma's underlings."

Rising from her seat, she stretched her arms in the air, giving a relieved sigh as her muscles shuddered.

Kurama's eyes automatically darted to follow the movement, which allowed the large T-shirt to brush against and reveal her supple body, but he reluctantly looked elsewhere out of respect.

"Forgive me. Hopefully, I'll see you around, _Kurama_, but I _do _have a class to get to."

The intimacy in which she said his name had unseen shivers running through his body.

She slid her book into her overworked bag, leaving nothing behind but the sickly sweet scent of her mischief and the empty void that her aura always seemed to leave behind, like a vacuum.

As she left, Kurama realized that not only had he—a kitsune—been outmaneuvered with useless information by a ningen, but that he had also neglected to work on his physics paper, which was due in approximately fifteen minutes.

_Oh, yes, Kagome. We'll see you very soon, _Youko murmured, both of them watching her walk through the exit with darkening, predatory green eyes.

**Hello, everyone! I love hearing feedback, so please feel free to review; they actually help me feel more inspired. Also, if you have a theme was you wish a drabble to utilize, please let me know! Thank you for reading.**

**~Ninja**


	3. Livewire

**Title: Cerulean**

**Summary: **The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until he learned everything about her; it wasn't often that something called to his kitsune side.

**Style: 500 – 1500 word drabbles.**

**Three: Livewire**

Kurama was above stalking. He, honestly, was. Truly.

And every time that the more feral side of him, Youko, rebutted that they were attempting to obsess about Kagome and failing, Kurama pointed out that he wasn't obsessed, merely interested.

Which is exactly why he found himself at the library every day since, hoping that he would be able to encounter her again.

Which is exactly why he found himself stooping so low as to ask another person for information in the middle of the night at a sketchy coffee shop.

"I know nothing about no damn woman with a freaky aura," Yusuke said, leaning backwards on his seat, hands behind his head and eyes closed in tense relaxation. Dark strands tickles his face and with an irritated scrunch he blew them out of his face.

He popped one brown eye open, eyeing Kurama, and waving a dismissive hand. "Why do you care, anyways? She's just some broad we met having sex with Koenma. No big deal."

Kurama wanted to stiffen at the blunt and somehow irritating words but suppressed the urge, choosing instead to take a sip of his coffee. It warmed him up to his fingertips, but didn't even come close to the heat that the aura that haunted his dreams provided. "It's not. I just wanted to sate my curiosity," he murmured, his voice nonchalant despite his tumultuous thoughts.

"Why don't you just ask Hiei to follow her if you want information that badly? Don't you two live together or somethin'?" Yusuke asked around a mouthful of his danish, crumbs scattered haphazardly along his mouth.

"I don't dictate what Hiei does," was all Kurama said.

Yusuke stared blankly at him. "So, in other words, you have no freakin' idea where he is."

Kurama sighed, the sound almost reverberating in his bones. "Unfortunately. Hiei has a habit of disappearing at the most inconvenient times. He is still volleying between this world and the Makai."

Yusuke laughed, crumbs flying across the table from his mouth, making Kurama lean back slightly with apprehension. "As if Hiei would do it even if you asked, anyways."

Kurama's ear twitched as he lamented how off topic he and Yusuke tended to get when the conversation wasn't about work.

"Look," Yusuke said, leaning forward. "I don't know a Kagome and, if I'm being honest," he muttered lowly, rubbing the back of his neck roughly. "I've only showed up to Introduction to Statistics about ten times and slept through about six of those."

They had all expected Yusuke to tighten up his educational record once he and Keiko started dating but it was the same as it was when they were in high school. In a way, Kurama had to admit that it was kind of refreshing, but right now—when he needed information—it made him want to strangle the mazuko and puncture his esophagus with his claws.

"Yusuke, we've been in school for over forty days," he sighed roughly, resisting the urge to run a hand through his ruby strands.

He started at Kurama blankly again, knocking back on his chair, the front legs lifting. "Your point?"

Kurama was contemplating whether or not he wanted to when a minor blast of youki shivered through his senses. His posture instantly straightened and his ears were practically twitching in order to hear anything related.

_It's a small fry,_ Youko yawned, his boredom evident.

"Yusuke," Kurama started.

"Yeah, I feel it," Yusuke grumbled.

"You wrap up here while I'll go check it out real quick. We don't want to seem too suspicious," Yusuke murmured, eyes trained on the door as he watched the wary gaze of their waitress from across the room—she having tensed at their suddenly alert postures.

"That sounds like a plan," Kurama nodded. "It feels like a low-level youkai so you should have no problem with it."

Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck, massaging the suddenly tense muscle rather than doing so out of habit this time. "Jeez, pretending to be normal is a pain."

A smile pulled up Kurama's lips, his emerald eyes shimmering with a golden undertone. "That's the price for being who we are."

Not even bothering to comment, Yusuke abruptly stood up and slinked out the chiming door, hands stuffed deeply within his pockets.

He had simply enough time to reach for more coffee creamer when his momentary silence was interrupted by the waitress strutting over to open her ruby mouth with a flirtatious giggle and a completely masculine screech of surprise from Yusuke.

"Oi, lady! You don't want to touch that!" Yusuke muffled voice yelled from outside the cafe, rousing Kurama's attention and forgoing any chance of subtlety that they had.

Heaving a bone-deep sigh, Kurama set a couple of crumpled bills on the table, flashing a charismatic smile at the waitress that made her erupt in red. "Excuse me, but I need to be on my way as well. It was a pleasure to meet you," he purred.

The door chimed as he exited, automatically easing shut. Kurama began to walk a little ways along the chain of vacant stores, the breeze blowing humidly, before he came upon Yusuke. The tantei's face was twisted with horrified confusion and, yet, the young man had shown no signs of moving.

"What's going on?"

The brunette waved his arms angrily, eyes narrowed at the sheer stupidity of some people. "Some fucking broad is chatting the youkai down the road. She's actually talking to it so she probably has a high energy level like Kuwabara or some shit. It's about the second avenue in front of us, can you see it?"

Kurama raised an eyebrow, his pupils flashing slightly to slits as he peered at the distance. "Sometimes, it seems as if you forget that I was a youkai long before you, Yusuke."

Yusuke shoved his hands in his pockets, leaning back on his heels. "We should probably go stop that," he said, ignoring the validity of Kurama's point. "At least she only went into shock rather than running away screaming. This saves us the chase of hunting her down to erase her memories."

"I concur," Kurama murmured, reaching upwards to retrieve his rose seed.

"One thing is weird, though," the interruption fell swiftly from Yusuke's lips and his brows were furrowed. "Don't you think that youkai is kinda docile?" He nodded towards the scene.

The two figures stuck out like a beacon in the dark alleyway that had been formed between to abandoned stores. The woman's light blue hoodie blouse was in tied strings up the sides, and her black shorts revealed mile-long legs that showed that she was barefoot; the soles were bloody as apparent by the scuffs of scarlet on the concrete leading to the curves of her feet. Her light pink lips were moving rapidly, almost as if she was talking to the stalled, but snarling demon. The passing light from a car shined, briefly illuminating the two—showing the scaly body of the youkai and the shimmering lines that were hanging around him in loose, pulsating crisscrosses before fading from sight with the returned darkness.

Kurama's blood was suddenly, inexplicably rushing in his ears, every instinct of self-preservation in his body suddenly screaming at his limbs to move and dart further away from the alley. Youko bristled at the heaviness and electricity slowly began rocking through the atmosphere.

"What are you doing just standing there, Kurama? Get out of the way so that I can shoot the damn thing before anyone sees!" Yusuke shouted, his voice rough with irritation as his eyes darted around the currently vacant street side.

The gruff voice shook Kurama out of his entrancement with the raw power in the air and with steady fingers he retrieved a seed that was born within his scalp and willed it to thrive. The rose whip in Kurama's hand writhed, the thorny vine straining forward and backwards at the same time, as if it couldn't decide to go towards the confrontation or return to the safe shell of its seed.

With a slight flick of his wrist, he sent the rose whip forward, aiming for the lesser youkai's neck, but it immediately met an invisible wall and shriveled with a high keening noise. The internal fire burned its way up the vine to his arm and he swiftly dropped the rose as it combusted with fiery blue, the seed in the middle evaporating with a puff of sizzling smoke.

Kurama quickly whirled around, breathing heavily as his youki quickly sprang forth to regenerate. His eyes widened quickly as he noticed Yusuke making his cursory gun with his fingers. "Yusuke, don't shoot! There's a repelling barrier!"

"What the hell?"

As Kurama turned back around, the woman leaned forward, her fingers gracing the creature's scales, as if to caress its venomous face. And, almost abruptly, light ripped its way across its youki, devouring it greedily as it infused with its flesh in shattering divots, and the meager youkai collapsed into heaps of ashes that crackled and burned with residual energy.

He only caught a glimpse of livewire azure eyes before ash blew his way and the barrier evaporated before him, the sudden shockwave of wind blowing off her hood.

**I apologize for the wait. I was busy with finals and I'm finally graduated high school! There were times, I will admit, where I could have updated but I didn't like how this drabble kept turning out. Now, I'm just going to throw this out there and can assure you that the future chapters will definitely be better.**

**So, what I ended up doing was going ahead and writing flashbacks of the major even in the Feudal Era (from Kagome's POV, I might add) that diverges from canon. I'm extremely happy to have that scene over and done with and in storage! Eventually, I figure out when I'm going to post them and if they will be consecutive or not. Now that I've siphoned that out of my writing system, I will begin updating regularly again so be on the lookout every week.**

**Please review!**

**~Eryn "Ninja" Silvenia**


	4. Bow

**Title: Cerulean**

**Summary: **The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until he learned everything about her; it wasn't often that something called to his kitsune side.

**Style: 500 – 1500 word drabbles.**

**Four: Bow**

_Kagome._

The name resonated within him as he felt waves upon waves of her power pulsate in the air.

"Well, shit…" Yusuke cursed, and though Kurama couldn't see his expression, he was sure that it mirrored his own; reluctant apprehension.

"Kagome," Kurama said, his voice completely level despite the fact that his youki was still bristling and demanding that he turn tail. Despite the fright that all of his youkai senses were exhibiting, he couldn't deny the scalding shivers that were climbing along his body, her aura seeping into every pore. Right now, her aura was almost entirely consumed by the dormant lightning that he had sensed earlier and it was encompassing his own with a teasing caress that was violent yet gentle.

_And there isn't anything that kitsune _love more_ than danger, _Youko purred_. _

A fang pierced the top of his lip, bringing him back to the present as he regained control of himself. "Are…Are you alright? You seem to be bleeding." His voice was slightly strained, low, and rough.

Kagome's eyes darted to his, an electric ice blue rippling along the cerulean. "K-Kurama?" The electric ki circulating around her slowly began to calm down, a sudden rush of moonlight and lotus reclaiming her scent once more as the energy slowly began crawling back to wrap around her lithe body.

A light shade of pink began to stain her cheeks in angry, embarrassed patches once she realized who she was staring at. "What are you doing here?" she stated, her voice surprisingly even and cold. Nimble fingers ran through her dark hair, fingers feathering over a tear in her hoodie.

"Look, lady, I don't know why you keep showing up in the weirdest of situations, but I'm pretty sure that we're the ones who have the right to ask the questions," Yusuke stated, hands behind his head as he appraised her with dark eyes.

"I believe," Kagome began, irritation also shining brightly in her blue eyes. Her hip was cocked slightly to the side, hand squeezing her arm where scarlet liquid cried between her fingers. "That I don't have to answer to you."

"Who the-"

"Kagome," Kurama said evenly, swiftly entering the argument that was slowly gaining momentum and diffusing it. "You're injured."

For the first time since he had seen her, Kagome looked distinctly uncomfortable in her own skin and her surroundings. She fidgeted, tightening her grip on the gash, and shuffling her feet. A blood stained bow laid torn at her feet, most likely ripped from her hair, which was falling in cascades around her.

"I heard that you were looking for me," she suddenly said, eyes burning into his. "Well, I'm here now."

"I was…worried," Kurama finally settled on, realizing it to be true after he said it.

"You don't know me," she answered simply and swiftly, a delicate eyebrow raised. The good humor glinting in her eyes, however, betrayed her lack of the run-of-the-mill genuine distrust or anger.

Kurama, purely out of reflex, began to respond with a silky retort, already tasting the words in his mouth when the forgotten tantei interrupted.

"And…_this…_is my moment to leave," Yusuke drawled, feeling decidedly awkward about the entire situation, especially with the secretive but obviously miscommunicated looks Kurama and Koenma's girl were sending each other.

"Before I go, though!" Yusuke exclaimed, both eyebrows raised in his classic _"what in the actual fuck is going on" _expression that spoke of his utter befuddlement.

"Why are we doing all this fuckin' work when Koenma's sitting on someone like you?! All you do is touch them and zap 'em. That's way easier than all the shit that we do. Quick and toasty."

Kagome's smile started to appear more strained, which Yusuke apparently caught on to because he slowly turned tail—but not before giving a cautionary glance at Kurama that made him snort internally.

"I'm sorry for being so rude to your friend. He just reminds me of someone that I would rather not think of," Kagome offered once Yusuke had made his way out of sight, apologies heavy in her voice, but not heavy enough to conceal what Kurama could identify as residual pain and anger. "And I have had a very, very bad day."

"Getting attacked by a youkai?"

"That was, actually, the easiest part," she said, the tiniest of predatory smirks gracing her lips before it disappeared into her usual smile. "They just don't make youkai how they used to anymore."

And, to be honest, he believed her.

**I know that this is miles short compared to the others, and I'm sorry, but I wanted to add the rest of this part to the new one. **

**Thank you for all of the reviews! I positively adore hearing feedback, so please keep it up!**

**-Eryn "Ninja" Silvenia**


	5. Oddly Shy

**A/N:**** I apologize for updating so late! I've been in the hospital lately due to some serious health issues that have suddenly popped up. As an apology for my absence, I wrote way more; in fact, this chapter is **_double_** the regular size of chapters.**

**On another note, thank you guys so much for all of the positive feedback! It makes me so happy to know that you guys like this fic and already find it interesting! Please keep the flow of communication open. I positively love to hear from you all!**

**Advertising****: If you haven't already, please check out my other ongoing Kagome/Kurama fanfictions (**_Intertwined, Crisis, and Barter_**) as well as my completed one-shot, **_Leaves from the Vine_**. **

**Title: Cerulean**

**Summary: **The dark-haired woman easily piqued Kurama's curiosity. It wasn't often that a being of such power was able to run freely or able to command such respect from Koenma without even asking for it. And try as Koenma might to dissuade his interest, Kurama wasn't going to back down until he learned everything about her; it wasn't often that something called to his kitsune side.

**Style: 500 – 1500 word drabbles.**

**Five: Oddly Shy**

"_We can go back to my apartment," Kurama had offered, unable to help himself or the curiosity that was burning inside him._

_Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Do you make it a habit of offering acquaintances a stay? One might think that you're interested."_

"_Maybe, I am," Kurama purred, molten emeralds trained on her cerulean orbs. At the lovely pink that dusted her cheeks, Kurama almost had to stop his gentlemanly sensibilities from backtracking his youkai ones. _

Oh no_, Youko laughed. _That was all you.

_Kagome's laughter, thankfully, rang in his ears, beautiful in its answer. "Quite the kitsune you are."_

And, for some reason that Kurama couldn't tell, Kagome had agreed to come to clean up and treat her wounds before going on her own way, which is how they found himself standing on the balcony next to the stairs to enter his apartment room.

His balcony was covered with different types of flora and vegetation that were carefully place in pots, though some more rebellious vines had come to find their homes intertwined with the railing at the edge of the balcony.

"The plants love you very much," she said, causing him to turn to her in surprise. He was met with a radiant smile, lips curled to show her teeth.

The way that she rubbed the back of her neck to hide her embarrassment reminded him of Yusuke, but her silky smooth voice shattered that illusion as it made his body heat.

It had been too long since he had truly been attracted to a woman and the last thing that he wanted was to think of the tantei every time he saw her.

"What do you mean?" he found himself answer.

"It's so interesting."

Her fingers trailed over the petals of the flower as she spoke and Kurama watched mesmerized as the leaves and petals strained forward, trying to lean out of the pot to caress and kiss her fingertips.

Not noticing, Kagome continued, "It's just amazing how much they perked up when you walked in. They love you very much."

Something warmed in him as he heard her peculiar words. She was talking about the plants if they were alive, something that he had only heard himself do.

"And I love them as well," he found himself saying, only to want to cough with mortification at how ridiculous that must sound to a ningen.

"I think that it's very sweet," she told him, having noticed his pause of embarrassment.

Trying to ignore the sudden shyness that was flitting through him, his cheeks oddly heated, Kurama fished out his key out of his pocket, fitted it in the lock, and turned as he pushed the door open.

"I recognize that this is a bit forward, but you may take a shower, if you would like. I know how horrid it is to be covered in youkai blood," Kurama offered, noticing how she was picking at her clothes uncomfortably, as he stepped aside to let her in the hall. "I can put your clothes in the wash, if you want. It won't take long."

"Do you have detergent strong enough to get out the blood?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, curiosity and good humor sparking in her gaze.

Kurama laughed. "I learned that the hard way, myself. Because of my line of work, I'm now stocked up on it."

"Arigatou, Kurama," Kagome smiled, her eyes gleaming happily with the promise of a hot shower. "You're very kind, and I would absolutely _love_ to take advantage of your shower and your washer."

"My bedroom in is the first door on the left," he told her, removing his shoes and putting them beside the door. "The shower is the only other door in there. And the first-aid kit is in the closet in the bathroom."

"Arigatou," Kagome said, more quietly this time as she made her way to where he directed, careful of getting her bloody soles on his carpet. He had tried earlier to offer to carry her but she had stubbornly refused that and his other offer to let her wear his shoes.

"I left my clothes on the bed!" she called after a few seconds, and Kurama started slightly while placing his keys on the counter. It was odd hearing a distinctly feminine voice echo throughout what was normally his lonely apartment. The only other voices that were throughout the halls were his, Hiei's, and occasionally that of his human mother. Kurama had been careful not to get involved with any women due to his frequent disappearances thanks to his involvement in Reikai.

Gathering himself, Kurama walked down the hall, parting the bedroom door. Spying the neatly folded but blood-stained clothes on his bed, he collected the articles of clothing quickly.

He could hear the shifts and movements of fabric Kagome shuffling around the towels before she stepped under the onslaught of the shower, heaving breathy moans and relieved sighs as the jets of water soothed her abused muscles.

It was that moment that Kurama made sure to close the bedroom door, _tightly_ behind him, so that he wouldn't have to hear the delicious sounds falling off her lips.

_It's almost like she's doing it on _purpose, Youko purred within him, already enticed as Kurama went to begin the laundry. _Little minx._

Kurama stared _pointedly_ at the repetitive circular movements of the clothes in the washing machine as it started, watching the rush of suds and colors as he attempted to not think about the ridiculously attractive woman in his shower and the way that he could already feel his body responding to it. He wasn't a hormonal teenager, for kami's sake—he had much more control than that.

After a few minutes, his ears pricked at the wet, ruffled sound of her drying off and the _ching_ of his dresser as she pulled open the drawer and picked out a shirt to wear. He was about to make himself some coffee while he waited, since he had been forced to abandon his at the café, and wondered if she wanted some.

"Tell me more about yourself," Kagome suddenly murmured, when he came back in, resting her head on her arm, her hair spilling over the side of his mattress. She had chosen a long button white button down, that dwarfed her tiny body, but in the position that she was laying in, it unintentionally showed off her figure. Her feet were up, tapping from side to side in the air, revealing the cream of her thighs. Midnight hair was damp, free of the blood that had been leaking in it before, and wafted the smell of his shampoo to him. In fact, her entire body smelled cleanly of his body wash—it was abrupt mixture of her lotus scent and his forest that sent his head spinning.

Not noticing his staring, Kagome continued her chatter. "I'm afraid that all I know is what Koenma has told me. And that mainly consisted of me staying away from you and your group," she admitted wryly.

"You don't seem to listen very well," Kurama noted, unable to hide his smile as his focus once again righted on the woman before him.

"I never have," Kagome laughed, and he was very pleased to find that it wasn't the annoying high-pitched giggles that he had come to loathe in females thanks to his stints in high school.

"In fact, his words did nothing but make me curious. Then again, I don't listen to Koenma when he tells me not to do something half the time, anyhow." She waved her hand. "So..?"

"Well, I don't just randomly divulge my secrets to strangers," Kurama pointed out, amusement teasing his features.

Laughter once again lit her face. "You are a kitsune, that's for sure," she smiled. "What would you like in exchange?"

Kurama swallowed abruptly, making sure to look contemplative before turning away as quickly as possible.

"Let me think on it for a few minutes. I'll go make us coffee", he said before practically sprinting away from the tempting sight she made all sprawled out on his bed, hair rumpled from running hands through it, smelling of his scent, and dressed in his shirt. Some possessive instinct made him want to purr at the sight of her blatantly wearing his claim and relaxing in his territory.

His hands stilled on the sleekness of the machine, fingers paused from where he was about to pour in the beans.

Claim?

Was that why he was so drawn to Kagome? Because his youkai wanted to claim her?

Something told him that the fiery brunette wouldn't take too kindly to his thoughts. She seemed to be one to be against submission. And besides, Kurama wasn't truly a youkai that was fully in touch with his instincts and gave them chosen liberties.

Not to mention that his human sensibilities demanded that he at least get to know the female first. And from what he could already tell, she was an extraordinary woman, but they had only ran into each other three times. Not to say that he _wasn't_ interested, because that would just be lying to himself, which Kurama rarely did.

As the coffee maker dinged and filled up the mug with steaming liquid, Kurama poured some creamer in it, stirring it lightly as he carried it back to his bedroom.

At the murmur of voices he heard coming from his bedroom, it was obvious that something wasn't right. Kagome's muffled voice was joined by another low, threatening tone that he had come to recognize.

Abandoning the cup on counter, Kurama threw his bedroom door open, only to be met with an surreal sight. Kagome was being pinned violently to the bed, hands tightening around her throat, and slight waves of electricity was rocking across her aura once more but it was obvious that she was attempting to calm it.

"Hiei, let her go!" Kurama hissed, his blood boiling in his veins.

_I would have let go of her if I could, fox,_ Hiei's voice hissed through his mind.

"Everything is fine, Kurama. Your friend Hiei and I were just having a little chat. Weren't we Hiei?" Kagome breathed, eyes narrowed and darkening, her fingers dancing in the air beside her. Her hair was splayed out around her, like tendrils of ink against the snowy satin of his sheets.

His eyes focused on her fingers enough to see the shimmering wires glinting at him, skimming along the lines, he found them wrapped around Hiei's limbs and a particularly sharp bunch at his throat.

Hiei growled lowly in response. "Let me go."

"Ah, ah, ah, now how can I be sure that you won't attack me again, Mister?" Kagome raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed by the hands twitching around her neck. "You were almost too fast for me to catch. Who's to say that you won't kill me as soon as I let you go?"

Hiei bared his fangs at her, making an answering growl rip out of Kurama's throat, drawing two surprised gazes.

"Hiei, do not attack Kagome further. Kagome, please release Hiei so that I may speak to him."

With a twitch of her fingers, the razor strings around Hiei laxed before disappearing and the Forbidden was suddenly at Kurama's side, eyes darting warily between the dangerous woman on the bed and Kurama's obviously pissed off face.

"Fox, I—"

"Hallway."

"Tch." Without another word, the air ruffled as Hiei left, obviously not wanting to upset Kurama when he was so confusingly angered.

"I'll be right back, Kagome," Kurama smoothly said, trying to erase the traces of anger from his face as he spoke. "I'm sorry for Hiei's actions."

"It's certainly alright. I'm sure that Hiei-san doesn't make it a habit to attack every person he sees. He most likely had an understandable reason," Kagome said softly, smiling despite the fact that her hand had trailed up to massage her throat. "So, please don't be harsh."

Unwilling to agree with her statement, Kurama just turned around, closing the door behind him—but that didn't stop the calming aura that Kagome seemed to be purposefully radiating.

"Why on Earth did you attack Kagome?" Kurama hissed, eyes narrowed as he stared down expectantly at his friend. The koorime was leaning against the wall, arms crossed in his irritation, sword laid dormant at his side. If Hiei had truly wanted to kill Kagome, he would have used his sword, so Kurama knew that he hadn't acted completely blindly, but still the actions were uncharacteristic of his friend.

"I couldn't sense your energy," Hiei hissed defensively, his eyes darting away from Kurama.

"Her aura tends to blanket everything around it, Hiei. If you would have tried harder to sense me, you would have seen-"

_You have a miko, of all things, in your bed, you idiot fox!_

Kurama's eyes widened as he stared at Hiei incredulously. "…Miko?"

"Would you like to hear a story in exchange for a story, perhaps, Kurama?" The quietness of her footfalls had escaped his sensitive ears and as his and Hiei's eyes darted the door, they caught the brightness of her azure gaze. Her ripe chest heaved with each decidedly nervous breath. She was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, her hair cascading around her body like a curtain and long legs streaming from underneath his shirt.

And, though he wanted answers, Kurama suddenly had the overwhelming urge to push Hiei out of the window that they were standing next to first.

**A/N: Being honest, I don't particularly like how this chapter turned out but *shrug* what do you guys think?**

**Now, I was also thinking about this being the perfect time for flashbacks, finally revealing why Kagome is so angry with Inuyasha even after all these years. Do you guys think I should go ahead and do the flashbacks? There might be a total of four or five and they would be updated one day after the other. **

**Please review with your response and feedback! **

**Thank you guys :D**

**-Eryn "Ninja" Silvenia**


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